According to an article in Consumer Reports, Hy Cite Enterprises has recalled 1.7 million pots and pans due to a burn and fire hazard. The products affected are from the Royal Prestige 9-ply thermal-wall line.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received more than 1,100 complaints of cookware collapsing or deforming when exposed to heat sources, causing the contents to spatter. In one case, a victim was spattered with hot oil.

Hy Cite is a high-end cookware retailer, selling products door-to-door by independent distributors. The individual pots and pans retail for up to $800 and the sets for up to $3,500. The products affected have an imprint on the bottom reading “Thermal Wall” and “9-Ply” and include the following items:

1.5-quart saucepans

2-quart saucepans

3, 4, 6, and 8-quart Dutch ovens

8-inch and 10.5-inch skillets

10-inch and 14-inch paella pans

Consumers are being advised to stop using the cookware immediately and contact Hy Cite for return instructions. Hy Cite will replace any damage cookware and repair any undamaged items. Hy Cite can be contacted at 1-800-609-9577. Customers can also contact the company by visiting the website at www.royalprestige.com or www.hycite.com and clicking on “Recall Information.”

Defective Products Injure Thousands Each Year

Defective products are responsible for many injuries each year of innocent victims who purchase these items in good faith. Some experts estimate that over 220,000 injuries to children alone are reported to the CPSC each year. Furthermore, each year millions of products are recalled prior to causing harm to consumers, but these products still represent potential danger. As long as manufacturers continue to release defective products, everyone is in danger of potential injuries.

The Two Theories Behind Product Liability

Product liability cases are usually based on one of two legal premises: defective manufacturing or defective design.

Defective manufacturing cases allege that the product was made incorrectly so that utilizing it in the manner in which it was intended poses a danger to potential users. For example, in this recall the fault could have been a manufacturing error that causes the pots to collapse when they are exposed to heat. Since a pot is made to be used on heat, this is obviously a defect and could be due to poor manufacturing.

On the other hand, the problem could also be a defective design. Products that are defective in design cannot be manufactured safely. The design itself is what poses the danger to consumers. Examples of this include baby seats that pose a smothering risk or cars that contain design flaws that lead to sudden acceleration issues.

What Can Victims of Product Liability Do?

While there is a legal difference between defective manufacturing and defective design, there is little difference to the victim of an injury caused by a defective product. These victims are entitled to compensation for their injuries including payment of medical bills, payment of lost wages and other expenses, and sums for pain and suffering.

Michigan-based Blind Xpress is issuing a defective product recall for about 139,000 custom-made vertical and horizontal blinds after a toddler was strangled by the cord loop of a vertical blind. According to a Consumeraffairs.com report, the incident occurred in 2009 when the 2-year-old girl from Commerce Township, Michigan, died from strangulation injuries. The loop of the cord in that case was not attached to the wall or floor. Blind Xpress custom vertical blinds apparently have an adjustment cord and sometimes, a weighted device at the bottom. The horizontal blinds don’t have inner cord stop devices to prevent the accessible inner cords from being pulled out. This exposes children to the risk of becoming entangled in the cord loop.

The recall involves all Blind Xpress vertical blinds that do not have a cord-tensioning device that attaches to the wall or floor and all horizontal blinds that do not have inner cord stop devices. The blinds, which were made in the United States, were sold at various blind specialty stores from January 1995 through December 2011 for between $16 and $380. Anyone who has these window coverings at home is asked to stop using them immediately and contact the Window Covering Safety Council at 800-506-4636 to receive a free repair kit.

Sunbeam Products Inc. has issued a defective product recall for about 600,000 Mr. Coffee Single Cup Brewing Systems for potential burn injury hazards. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, a build-up of steam in the water reservoir can force the brewing chamber open and expel hot coffee grounds and water, posing a burn hazard to consumers. So far, the company has received 164 repots of the brewing chamber opening and 59 reports of burn injuries to consumers’ face, upper torso and hands, in the United States and Canada.

The recalled coffeemakers, which were manufactured in China, were sold by retailers nationwide including Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, Lowe’s, JC Penney and Bed Bath & Beyond from September 2010 through August 2012. The coffeemakers were priced between $60 and $80. Consumers are asked to stop using these defective coffee brewers immediately and contact the manufacturer at (800) 993-8609 to receive instructions about obtaining a free replacement unit.

General Electric has issued a defective product recall for 1.3 million dishwashers because of a potential fire hazard. According to Consumer Reports, the appliance recall includes 1.3 million GE, GE Adora, GE Eterna, GE Profile and Hotpoint dishwashers. Officials with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) say that an electrical failure in the heating element in these dishwashers can pose a fire hazard. This serious issue has led to 15 reports of heating element failure, seven reports of fires and three reports of extensive property damage.

These defective products were sold for $350 to $850 at appliance dealers and home improvement stores from March 2006 through August 2009. Anyone who has purchased a GE dishwasher during those years should check their serial number to determine if the appliance they own is included in this recall. Owners of these defective dishwashers are urged to immediately disconnect its power supply and to contact GE for a rebate toward a new dishwasher. More

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it has reduced the limit for child lead poisoning from 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood to five. According to Consumer Reports, there is no amount of lead level that is safe in children. This move encourages everyone from product manufacturers to consumers and parents to work on eliminating all lead from the environment.

CDC statistics show that about 250,000 children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 5 have blood lead levels greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood. About 450,000 children in that age group have lead levels greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood. Under the earlier rule 10 micrograms was the level at which the CDC recommended that public health actions be initiated. Now that level has been brought down to 5 micrograms. This change also alters the definition of what is considered lead poisoning in children.

A defective product recall has been issued for nearly 90,000 STOK gas grills due to fire hazards. According to a news report in Consumer Affairs, there have so far been 569 reports of the regulators on the grill leaking propane gas. The propane leak at the regulators of these grills can could ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. The recall involves STOK Island and STOK Quattro gas grills. The grills were sold by Home Depot stores nationwide and in Canada and Direct Tools Factory Outlet stores nationwide from March 2011 through February 2012 for between $79 and $350. The defective grills were manufactured in China. Consumers are asked to immediately stop using the recalled grills and contact One World Technologies at (800) 867-9624.

BSH Home Appliances has issued a defective product recall for nearly 2 million Tassimo coffeemakers because of potential burn hazards. According to Consumer Reports, the Tassimo Single-Cup Brewers from BSH Home Appliances can burst during brewing and spray hot water and coffee grounds or tea leaves on to consumers. So far, there have been 140 reports of cases where the Tassimo machines have caused serious burn injuries to consumers. In 37 of the incidents victims received second-degree burns. In one case, a 10-year-old Minnesota girl had to be hospitalized after suffering second-degree burns on her face and neck.

Navien America Inc., an Irvine-based company, along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), has issued a defective product recall for about 13,000 tankless water heaters. According to a CPSC safety alert, an unstable connection can cause the water heater’s vent collar to separate or detach if pressure is applied. A detached vent collar poses a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning to the consumer. So far, no incidents, injuries or fatalities have been reported as a result of this product defect.

Nine companies have issued a defective product recall for certain brands of decorative fuel gels, which could explode and cause serious injuries or even death. According to an ABC News report, these gels have already caused two deaths and dozens of injuries. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that nine companies have agreed to recall about 2 million jugs of the gel, which is usually poured into ceramic fire pots and ignited to create candlelight for decorative effect. So far CPSC has recorded two deaths and 75 injuries including 34 people who have been hospitalized with second- and third-degree burn injuries from flash fires and explosions caused by the gel.More

Three Inglewood residents, including two young children, nearly died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a defective productin their home – a wall heater. According to a news report in the Daily Breeze, the incident occurred on January 2, 2010 when the three victims started to lose consciousness because of the faulty wall heater. County firefighters responded to the incident. The Gas Company officials say that the heater had previously been determined as defective and the apartment owner had been told to fix it.

It is indeed fortunate that these residents, including the two young children, did not sustain fatal injuries as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. I wish these victims the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

CO Poisoning Can be Deadly

Carbon monoxide or CO, also known as the “silent killer,” is a colorless, odorless, tasteless toxic gas, inhalation of which can be fatal. It is usually produced by incomplete combustion in fuel-burning devices such as vehicles, gas-powered furnaces, heaters and portable generators. The common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, dizziness or confusion.

An undetected exposure to carbon monoxide may result in serious injury or death, as it nearly happened in the case of these residents. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unintentional exposure accounts for an estimated 15,000 emergency department visits and 500 unintentional deaths in the United States each year.More